


Only in Vestments

by meadow_stranger



Series: A Clash of Faiths [3]
Category: The Outer Worlds (Video Game)
Genre: But mostly The Captain/Max, F/M, Fictional Religion & Theology, Kinda?, One Shot, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Slight The Captain/Felix vibes, Spoilers, Uniform Kink, Vestment Kink I guess
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-26
Updated: 2019-12-26
Packaged: 2021-02-26 07:48:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,789
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21959893
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/meadow_stranger/pseuds/meadow_stranger
Summary: The Captain comes back to the Unreliable with more than a handful of bags and lets her crewmember divvy up the clothing she had procured in Byzantium. What she’s left with happens to be OSI vestments...[Contains Spoilers for the task: Makes Space Suits, Won't Travel]
Relationships: Female Captain/Maximillian DeSoto, The Captain/Maximillian DeSoto
Series: A Clash of Faiths [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599265
Comments: 6
Kudos: 33





	Only in Vestments

**Author's Note:**

> I found out you could buy the OSI vestments in that boutique shop in Byzantium. It’s my Captain’s normal attire if they aren’t going out on gunning mission. :) Plus, I gave her those circle glasses. She looks so badass and smart all at the same time.
> 
> I did not beta this one, but I wanted to post something as I work on the third chapter of "Teaching the Preacher." Check it out here: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21924685/chapters/52329946

“Welcome back Captain!” ADA’s dull, but strangely comforting voice rang through the hull of the ship. “I see you’ve come back with a considerably large haul of clothing.” 

“Yes, thank you, ADA-” Y/N huffed, holding three shopping bags on each of her arms. She allowed them to slip on the floor with a satisfying thud, rubbing her wrists. “Hey ADA? Could you do me a favor and make an announcement that new clothing is first-come, first-served in the kitchen.” With Celeste Jolicoeur dead in her shop, the Captain decided to do some ‘shopping’ in the boutique. After running around the colony gather materials and modeling, she was not leaving that damn store empty-handed. 

“Of course Captain.” ADA chippered. “The Captain would like all crewmembers to know she has acquired brand new clothing for everyone. She will be in the kitchen. This is a first-come, first-served situation.” 

Felix popped his head out of his room at the sound of ADA’s announcement. “New clothes?! Fuck yeah!” 

Rolling her eyes, the Captain stretched out her back before picking up all the bags once again. Tediously, she scaled two flights of metal stairs and passed each one of her crewmember’s quarters, finally arriving in the kitchen where she tossed the bags of clothing on to the long table. There was Felix, gleefully awaiting the goods. His eyes glimmer when the Captain gestured to the half spilled bags. “Take your pick. Whatever fits you, you can have. And try not to take more than you need, okay?” 

“Of course boss! Thank you so much.” In a flash, he was scavenging through the items, emptying the bags one by one. “Aw man, I do need new pants… But this jacket looks so great too-” Grinning, the Captain made her way to one of the fridges and grabbed the last Mock Apple Cider. Opening the liquor, she crumpled down on one of the kitchen chairs and began to gulp down the alcohol. It burned down her throat, leaving her with a satisfied feeling as she came up for air. 

“How did you get all these clothes?” A voice inquired. Looking up, the Captain spotted Ellie coming from her cabin. “You definitely didn’t pay for all of this.” Her nose scrunched up at the sight of the Byzantium brands. “I don’t know if I’ll take anything Captain. They don’t suit my style, ya know?”

“Ellie, just fucking take one thing at least,” grumbled Y/N slightly upset that an innocent colonist had died because of the Board and also because it was partly her fault. “Look, it’ll become your _style_ once you’ve worn it for a few weeks when it gets its fair share of space dust and marauder blood.”

With her eyebrow raised, the doctor shuffled towards the table, which was now a heaping mess with all the clothing. “When you put it that way,” she bent down and took a red plaid vest that Felix had discarded to the edge of the table. “I can’t resist. I’ll just take this one. Thanks Cap.” Ellie waved with the vest scrunched up her hand, walking back to her room. 

“What’s this all about?” Behind her, the Captain smiled lazily when her eyes had fallen onto their resident engineer. 

“Hey Parvati! Look at all these clothes the Captain got for us,” Felix explained all hurriedly, wiggling one of the shirts he claimed. 

“Aw, that’s awfully nice of you Captain. I guess it wouldn’t hurt to take a peek.” She scurried over to the kitchen table, putting one of her wrenches in her overall pockets. The Captain couldn’t help but feel proud of her engineer. Parvati had her date with Junlei over a week ago and it really strengthened the girl’s confidence. Beaming, Y/N took another swig of her cider, noting that she was almost halfway done with the bottle. The burning in her throat was becoming a bit too painful to continue so she capped up the cider and stood up, ready to place it back into the fridge.

Halfway there, Y/N stopped. “Ay wait, Captain, gimme the rest of that would ya?” Nyoka had appeared, apparently coming up the ladder from the cargo bay. “You really can’t handle one bottle of this?”

Scoffing, the Captain waited till Nyoka had both hands free, then gracefully tossed the liquor to her crewmate. “Ah, I just need enough to get the guilt out of my head. Anyways, drink that and pick some new vests or whatever from the pile. Y’all leave something for me okay? I’ll be in my quarters.” With that, the Captain began to stumble her way out of the kitchen. The alcohol had made her tipsy, her cheeks blooming with a rosy hue. 

Making a beeline to her room, the Captain failed to notice the lingering eyes that observed her as she passed by Vicar Max’s room. He was situated at his cramped desk, a stack of books and papers all sprawled out. Max had heard the announcement, but being a man of cloth he practically wore the same thing every day underneath his armor: deep royal blue vestments with the OSI’s insignia pattern. So, he had no need to go out into the kitchen. Additionally, the other crew members would most likely infuriate him if he tried to read in there. Max would much rather ponder the inner workings of the universe in peace in his quarters. He watched and listened silently as the captain staggered towards the stairs with her heavy footsteps until the whoosh of her room’s door ended the barrage of noise. The cleaning bot SAM whizzed on by just mere moments after. “If anyone needs their clothing clean-”

“Yes SAM, we know. You’ll clean it,” Nyoka groaned, already finished with the half bottle of Mock Apple Cider. She now chugged Glacier Water. “You might want to watch the Captain though. I think she drank too fast and-” 

“FUCK-” A sharp shriek echoed through the hull of the ship, followed by violent coughing. The Captain might have thrown up in her quarters.

SAM buzzed with joy. “Don’t worry Captain Hawthorn, I’ll clean it up in a jiffy!” He sped past the vicar’s open door once again. 

_This damn crew,_ Max thought. _Although, I do hope my captain is alright._ Straightening himself up, he decided to take a break from his studies and tinker with his shotgun for now. 

-

The Captain threw up on the floor. And on herself, unfortunately. Her only pair of ‘casual’ attire had been sullied and was being cleaned by SAM. He told her it would be a day or so until the laundry was done because he needed a new refill of soap that was only attainable back in Roseway. Y/N did not want to go back to the raptidon hellhole, but she asked SAM to bring her whatever clothes the crew had left for her in the kitchen. “You have got to be kidding me. _This_ is what they left me with?” The Captain gawked at the attire SAM had dropped off in her quarters. A crisp neatly folded OSI vestments with a pair of thin, circle rimmed glasses. “I’m going to look like a fucking preacher for a day?” She did admit the glasses fit her style, but made sure the lens wasn’t prescription. To her relief, they weren’t, but she frowned seeing how the Board and its corporations really could monetize almost anything towards Byzantium citizens. _Glasses_ , she mused. _They really believe glasses are that much of a fashion statement even if you don’t need them? Bah. Who needs to correct their eyesight like this these days?_

Muttering about corporate pigs and how she vowed to dismantle the system of corruption one day, Y/N began to dress in the religious garbs. It took a few tries to button it up correctly, but the Captain felt mighty proud of herself in the uniform. It made her feel important, regal almost. Placing on her new frames, Y/N made a mental note to purchase a mirror to place in her room. She had to make do with the reflection off the vast windows, smiling as a did a light twirl. Sudden memories of Earth came flooding back to her, flashes of her time in school when she wore plaid dresses with white stockings. Trembling, the captain rested her forehead against the cool glass, allowing herself to focus on her breathing. But soon the ship’s engines lurched to a stop as ADA announced their position. “We are now in orbit above Roseway, Captain.” 

“Thank you ADA,” she sighed, straightening herself out. 

But before she could leave her quarters, the door (that she most certainly thought was locked) slid open. “Captain, might I- What in the _name of the Architect_ are you wearing?!” It was Vicar Max. He stood shellshocked at the Captain’s new clothing. 

Laughing meekly, she extended her arms, observing the OSI pattern printed all over the garbs. “This is what I got left with. And since my other pair of clothing is currently being cleaned by SAM, I really had no other choice,” Y/N explained, walking over to the vicar. “So unless you’ll accompany me off this ship to get this damn cleaning solution for him, I advise you to step out of my way.” She was merely a few inches away from Maximillian, her arms now crossed, staring straight into his pale green eyes. The raw intimidation rolled off the Captain’s body so effortlessly, Max almost forgot why he even came to her quarters in the first place. His eyes couldn’t help but roam her figure, the deep blue vestments hugged her quite well, framing her neck with its high, golden laced collar. Her hips protruded from the fabric, exposing her flattering silhouette. It was almost as if she was glowing, with the backdrop of space, a dim halo enveloped her. However, he found the glasses she wore amusing, reaching out to flick the sides of it. 

“A female vicar,” he chuckled. “Never thought I’d see the day. You look ever so revenant, Captain.” 

“Then, I’ll have you know that my flock requires my tending, so if you would fucking please excuse me-” Captain Hawthorn replied snappily, trying to squeeze her way past Max. 

He stopped her, snatching her wrist and held it harshly. “My, what have I said about abstaining from vulgar language?” 

A fire ignited in the Captain’s dark eyes, widening them with growing frustration. “Maximillian, I do not have the time for this. Let me go, oh so help your Architect. I will-” 

He sneered, tugging the Captain towards his face. “Or you’ll what? Hm?” At least he wasn’t the only one on this ship that dealt with anger issues. 

Opening her lips to respond, Y/N was cut off when she heard Felix scurry about from the top of the stairs. “Hey Captain, I can join you on this mission if you’d like.” Her arm dropped to her side as Max released her from his grip, coughing into a strained fist. _That damn Felix. Always ruining my moments with the Captain_ , he thought to himself, watching the younger man waltz right up to Y/N. “Wow Captain, you almost look like you belong in the OSI!” The eager Felix scanned her up and down before waving at a grouchy Max. “Hey Max, you going with the Captain too?” 

“Ah, yes. I am,” he stated, heading to the exit of the Unreliable. “I’ll be waiting Captain.” He stole one more glance at her in those vestments before turning his back and heading down the stairs. 

As the Max strode out, Felix couldn’t help but laugh and asked, “Hey Vicar Hawthorn, care to take my confession?” 

“Felix, do you even have anything to confess about, other than being stupid?” the Captain chided, rolling her eyes and motioning him to move out of the way. She closed the sliding doors to her quarters then rested an arm on the ex-stowaway’s shoulder. 

He glanced down at her clothed arm, frowning. “Ouch, that kinda hurt boss.” 

“I’m just kidding, come on before Max gets impatient.” The Captain found her way to the exit, opening one of the lockers and took two handguns with her. She didn’t bother with armor this time since SAM reassured her that the warehouse containing the cleaning product was not crawling with raptidons. 

“You going without armor?” Vicar Max asked, grimacing in disapproval. He was already suited up in some heavy riot armor, his favorite shotgun slung on his back and a plasma rifle in his hands. 

“SAM promised that this warehouse wouldn’t have raps. Only old mechs and I can deal with those,” wiggling her fingers she grinned, leaving the vicar to grumble. “I’ve got magic fingers, remember?” 

-

The mission went more or else smoothly. SAM admitted he did not know the location of the warehouse where Auntie Cleo stored their cleaning supplies but suggested to ask around in Roseway. Donned in OSI vestments, the Captain found it much easier to talk to the locals who still resided in that shithole. She wondered if she was playing a bit too much into the whole ‘Vicar Hawthrone’ facade, but it got her what she wanted so Y/N didn’t dwell on it. Max and Felix, on the other hand, watched in awe as their Captain chatted up security guards and scientists, gaining their immediate trust. The actual vicar couldn’t decide if he was to feel appalled or impressed by how the Captain was using the OSI to her advantage. Max observed that the Captain reserved a special tone whenever she needed to persuade or lie in situations. She was definitely using it here. He knew the Captain’s true beliefs, for she thought OSI was just a sham created by the Board to control colonists. It made him slightly content that she was being accurate to OSI teachings and canon. At least she was playing her vicar role with some seriousness. Although, there was still something about her act that frustrated the vicar. He couldn’t figure it out. 

After one of the scientists revealed the location of the warehouse to ‘Vicar Hawthorne’, she was prompted by one of the researchers to stay. “Roseway could use a holy woman like yourself. As you can see, we have a handful of Scienticians. We don’t have a chapel but-”

There was a forced smile on her lips, and Max couldn’t help but notice her cover wavered for a moment. “I appreciate the invitation, but the Plan has something else in store for me. Praise the Law.” With her head held up high, she motioned the two men to take their leave with her. 

As soon as the Captain leaped into the wilderness surrounding the shitshow of a town, she took a deep breath before letting out a fit of laughter towards the sky. Felix and Max stood stone-faced, watching their Captain seemly lose her sanity. “Uh, boss?” 

“Gah, oh my god, Felix- I can’t believe-” Y/N was wheezing in between laughs, bending over. The fabric wrinkled at her action, distorting the OSI pattern. “That was-” 

“Why are you laughing like a lunatic Captain?” Max cut straight to the chase. He had a feeling that it had to do with her little act. Doing is best to cross in arms in bulky armor, the vicar scowled, gesturing to the sky. “We do not have much time until darkness falls.” 

“Pffffff, alright alright, let’s get going, team.” She stood back up, readjusting her glasses and drew her pistol. “Let get this fucking cleaning supply!” Y/N was back to her normal self. 

As they briskly trekked through the rap infested wild, Vicar Max realized why he had a problem with Y/N’s facade. It was _too_ believable. If he didn’t know Y/N as Captain Hawthorne, he would have addressed her as a fellow vicar. Max understood female vicars in the OSI were very rare, but the way the Captain held herself with divine regard, the way she portrayed herself as a devout believer, honestly, made his blood boil. In a sense, he felt jealous. The whole reason Maximilian DeSoto was sent to Tartarus was due to his heresy. And there the Captain was, dressed in vicar garbs, tending to the followers. He couldn’t wrap his mind around how she could contain such contradicting emotions and thoughts, keeping herself under wraps. 

_Laws, no one else needs to see her in those vestments_ , Max thought to himself, his gloved fingers digging into the metal of his plasma rifle. _I swear to the Architect, I am making her take the damn thing off when we get back on the ship._

And Max did. _Himself_.

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't planning on writing any smut for this, but if anyone's interest let me know in the comments. I did keep it open-ended just in case... Happy holidays!
> 
> [Update:] I'm writing it. Expect in the next couple of days if I can get someone to beta read it for me,,,


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